Liam Payne’s hometown memorial is ‘respectfully relocated’ by his native council as followers go away heart-shaped mass of tributes to late One Direction star

Liam Payne‘s hometown memorial has been ‘respectfully’ moved by the council as tributes continue to pour in for the late One Direction singer. 

The former boyband member tragically died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16. 

It comes as a hotel worker and a drug dealer were revealed yesterday as two of the three mystery men arrested over the death of the popstar in Argentina. 

Since his tragic death fans across the globe have paid tribute to the 31-year-old, with a shrine adorned with heartfelt messages, balloons and flowers being erected at the Cenotaph in Wolverhampton. 

However ahead of the Remembrance Sunday parade, the council announced the copious amount of tributes had been ‘respectfully’ relocated in the shape of a heart elsewhere in the West Midlands city.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the City of Wolverhampton Council wrote: ‘Ahead of Sunday and Monday’s Remembrance services at the Cenotaph, the council has respectfully relocated the tributes left in memory of Liam Payne to the bandstand at West Park.

‘People are welcome to leave any tributes to Liam at the memorial at the bandstand.’

The floral tributes were arranged into the shape of a heart on the bandstand – with photographs, hand-written notes and balloons also featuring alongside an England flag.

It comes after three people were charged in connection with his death, as Argentine authorities ruled out third party involvement in his fall.

Payne died from multiple injuries as well as internal and external bleeding after his body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard, a post-mortem examination said.

A hotel worker and a drug dealer were today revealed as two of the three mystery men arrested yesterday. 

Police in Argentina believe they have uncovered drug dealing at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel where the One Direction star fell to his death from his suite’s third-floor balcony on October 16.

A 21-year-old and a 24-year-old have been named overnight by respected Argentine news website Infobae as two of the three arrested suspects. They are accused of supplying Mr Payne with drugs while a third suspect is under investigation for abandoning a person who subsequently died.

The publication described the 21-year-old, from Ingeniero Budge on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, as an employee of the CasaSur Palermo hotel accused of having supplied cocaine to Payne on at least two occasions.

The 24-year-old drug dealer is from Berazategui, a suburb south-east of the city centre. He allegedly supplied narcotics to the former member of One Direction in the days before his death.

The singer’s close friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores has denied that he is the third suspect and told MailOnline last night that he would never have abandoned the star.

Prosecutors have made it clear that any idea that Liam had committed suicide had been ruled out and said he was in a state of ‘semi or total unconsciousness’ as he fell to his death when he ‘didn’t know what he was doing.’ 

Tests have shown the 31-year-old binged on alcohol and cocaine before he died and also had traces of an antidepressant in his system. 

Prosecutors in the Argentine capital said in a statement last night that they had requested the arrests of three men as part of their ongoing investigation into Liam’s death.

But it was reported early this morning in Argentina that they were not at home when police arrived to detain them and search their homes.

They are now on bail after subsequently handing themselves in and avoiding a formal arrest. Their bail conditions are understood to include a travel ban and the obligation to sign on at court once a week.

Prosecutors have yet to confirm any bail arrangements.

It comes amid confirmation that Liam Payne was flown back to the UK on November 6, as the One Direction star’s body was finally released to his family.

Liam’s body had been held in Argentina while local officials completed further post-mortem tests. 

Public prosecutor Andrés Madrea confirmed to the BBC that Liam’s body had been released to his family on Wednesday.

The singer’s father Geoff Payne has been in the country where his son died in recent weeks and was seen paying respects to his son and even joining mourners amid a sea of floral tributes.

Thousands of fans across the world gathered in the days and weeks following Liam’s passing with many breaking down in tears.

News of the singer’s repatriation comes shortly after reports in the Argentine press had claimed the necessary paperwork to allow for the singer’s body to return home were complete.

Geoff Payne was initially warned by investigators upon his arrival in Buenos Aires that it would take up to 15 days before all their examinations were over. 

It comes after MailOnline learnt arrangements for Liam Payne’s funeral were close to being finalised – with a large-scale service set to be announced imminently.

A lavish service of remembrance is expected to take place a few days after the repatriation.

A close friend told MailOnline: ‘Liam will have a very big send off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.

‘Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair.’

‘The details are still under wraps until they are definitively signed off but should be announced very soon.’

Liam Payne’s journey to superstardom began at only 14-years-old Liam impressed XFactor judges with his own version of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra – but was later eliminated from the show. 

However Payne gave his singing career another go auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly shot to fame as part of One Direction. 

He and his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group.

After just a few weeks of getting to know each other and non-stop rehearsing, the group impressed Simon at their Judge’s Houses audition and sailed through to the live shows. 

The pop Svengali later admitted to Rolling Stone that it took him ‘about a millionth of a second’ to spot the group’s worldwide potential.

The fan reaction was instant too, with 1D hysteria soon dwarfing the show. Despite the adoration, the band ultimately finished in third place on the X Factor but shortly afterwards Cowell sealed their fate by signing the fivesome to a reported £2million Syco contract.

Keen to capitalise on the boys’ already devoted fanbase, Cowell moved quickly with recording for the band’s debut album beginning in January 2011.

By September of that year One Direction’s first single was released with What Makes You Beautiful soaring to number one on the UK Singles Chart, after becoming the most pre-ordered Sony Music Entertainment single in history.

Their debut album, Up All Night was also a best seller, becoming the UK’s fastest-selling debut album of 2011, with the record leading to their first tour which kicked off in the UK that December.

After Malik announced his departure from the band in 2016, the band members went their separate ways. 

During their time as a group, One Direction won five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, amassed over three billion YouTube views and sold 50 million records worldwide.

After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boybands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.

His singles Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran climbed its way to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year. 

Over the course of his music career, the popstar collaborated with the likes of J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.